I am not a Lego builder. My children, on the other hand, are experts. I watch as they go page by page building intricate designs. What started as simple houses has now turned into complex Marvel scenes and replicas of famous landmarks. It is nerve wracking knowing that one misstep can derail the entire project.
One landmark that I have not yet seen in the Lego store is the mishkan, the tabernacle the Israelites built as they traversed the desert. Yet, our Torah details its construction even better than any Lego manual instruction, from how much gold and silver to where to place the wood. Simply search for the Google image, “Biblical tabernacle,” and you will see the various depictions of the mishkan, all deriving from the verses we read this Shabbat.
Alshekh, the 16th century commentator, teaches that the sanctuaries we build on Earth should parallel the sanctuary God builds in heaven. However, God does not build this sanctuary for us. Rather, God requires us to lead lives of holiness so that we ourselves may be spiritually fit to establish those sanctuaries here on earth.
An empty sanctuary without holy people is nothing at all.
A people without a sanctuary can absolutely be holy.
Yet, when we combine a holy people with a sacred sanctuary, we then have the possibility of cultivating and activating the spiritual potential we deserve.
This is better than any Lego we can build. Let us build together.
